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Even though it wasn’t true, it still hurt hearing those words fall from his lips. Hunter chuckled once under his breath as he wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against his body. I bit my tongue against a scowl. Could this morning get any worse? I dropped my gaze to the ground, looking everywhere but at Eli’s face.
“You heard the angel. She’s not his. ”
I sank my teeth into my bottom lip and let Hunter hold me. I had to play along. Although a lot of people knew about Eli and I, no one had acknowledged it out loud. It was still against our laws and we weren’t above them. Faith’s amused smirk widened into a wolfish grin.
“My mistake,” she said, stepping closer to Eli.
I gritted my teeth and dragged my eyes to his face. He wasn’t looking at me—only at Hunter. I didn’t know if anyone else could see the way his green eyes burned darkly behind his lids…but I could and it hurt me to make him feel that way.
“I was under the impression you two were…nevermind. ” Her face almost brightened. “This trip just got a lot more fun. ”
I watched her hand glide over his forearm before she turned on her heel and walked to his car. When she climbed into the passenger side and closed the door, Hunter removed his arm and stepped away from me.
“I’ll let you two talk…or whatever. ”He opened the door and climbed into Lyric’s SUV, leaving Eli and I alone.
Choosing not to comment on the strange things that just happened, I said, “Please tell me you have some vodka stashed in one of your pockets for me. Or something equally as potent. ”
Surprisingly, he smiled at me. All traces of the previous conversation gone. “No, sorry, I don't. ”
I slumped against Lyric’s car. “Then this really is the suckiest day ever. ”
“It’ll all be over soon. ”
“But we don’t know if that means for better or worse…”
His alluring green eyes dulled and his smile faded. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out, regardless of the outcome. ”
I felt a twitch curve my lips. Knowing that Eli was in this for the long haul made everything seem more bearable.
“Promise?”
He stepped closer, giving me a reassuring smile. “Do you even have to ask?”
I inched closer to him and my fingers itched to reach out and touch him. Just one little touch, that was all I wanted—
“I put you two in separate cars for a reason,” Mr. Aleksandrov snapped, startling both Eli and I. He stalked around the car, his grey robe flailing out behind him. “Go. Now. We’re running late. ”
He opened the passenger side door, climbed in, and slammed it behind him. Soon after, Mila and Xavier appeared out of nowhere.
“Jeez,” I said to Mila. “What’s his problem?”
She shrugged, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ears. She looked a little green in the face today, but I kept the observation to myself. “He’s a little on edge today. He’s not a big flyer. ”
Poor guy, I couldn’t blame him. “Me either. ”
“You’ll be okay,” Eli said, reaching out and squeezing my arm briefly. “I’ll see you two when we get to the runway. ”
Xavier and Eli marched in their identical uniforms over to Eli’s car. They climbed in without a glance over their shoulders and the car soon hummed to life.
“This is going to be a long trip…” Mila sighed.
I nodded. “Yep. ”
She angled her body towards me. “At least we’re all going through it together. ”
I managed a smile. For once, I was about to go through something life changing with all of my friends. I wasn’t alone, not anymore.
***
We drove for an hour before I got sick of the same old sights whipping past my window. According to everyone, the runway is another hour from here. My stomach churned and I patted it soothingly. I decided to skip out on breakfast this morning. After my dream, I wasn’t up for food.
I adjusted my position, shuffling lower in my seat, and peered sideways at Hunter. His face was pale and he nervously pursed his lips together.
“You okay?” I asked him, letting my gaze drop down to his fingers that fidgeted with the silver button of his checkered shirt.
“Yeah,” he replied without looking at me.
“Nervous?”
He angled his head, smiling minutely. “Anxious, mostly. It’s been a while since I’ve done normal things. ”
“You’ll get the hang of it…”
He shrugged. “Eventually, but right now my main focus is not puking everywhere. ”
I cringed, shuffling closer to my door. Hunter smiled widely at me, clearly pleased by my sudden discomfort.
“Lyric, maybe we should stop and stretch our legs,” I suggested, calling over the back of the driver’s seat.
I was not getting puked on today, especially not in this dress.
“All right, it looks like Eli is pulling into this service station, anyway. ”
“Ten minutes and then we’re back on the road,” Mr. Aleksandrov added, crossing his arms.
When the car rolled to a stop, I couldn’t get out quick enough. Hunter followed, and when his feet were planted firmly on the ground, he closed his eyes, taking deep, slow breaths and his pale/green hue faded.
“Much better. ” He sighed, leaning back against the car.
“I’m going to get a bag of chips, you want anything?”
He shook his head, causing his now longish hair to tumble into his eyes. He swatted it away as I turned towards the entrance. Being a guardian angel was good. Aleksandrov paid me weekly, and although it wasn’t as much as the other guardians, it was nice to have.
As I stepped through the door, my sandal caught on the mat and I stumbled into the store. The annoying bell rattled louder than it should have, drawing a few pairs of unfamiliar eyes. Heat flared through my cheeks as I straightened myself. I gave them all an uncomfortable smile before abruptly turning down an aisle. I ran my fingers through my hair and inhaled deeply.
“Okay. ” I exhaled. “Food time. ”
I pulled my dark hair over one of my shoulders and leaned down to grab a packet of cheese and onion chips.
“Potato chips for breakfast?”
The deep, smooth tenor startled me and I jumped, knocking a few random things off the shelf above me. Damn it, this morning just wasn’t working in my favor. Eli and I bent down to pick up the objects at the same time—thankfully it wasn’t anything breakable, only a few packets of traveler’s tissues.
“I’m hungry. I didn’t eat before we left,” I told him as he took a packet of tissues from my hand. I rose to my feet and Eli put the items back on the shelf. I turned on my heel, making my way over to the chocolate section.
“They sell sandwiches, you know. ”
I smiled. Look at him being all concerned about my health.
“I’m exhausted. ” I said, picking up a Snickers bar. “I need sugar. ”
Eli stepped past me and straight over to the large coffee machine. I strolled up beside him. I forgot he liked coffee…My mind reeled back to the days when he’d take me to the cute little bakery in Sage town. God, we’ve come such a long way since then.
I watched him prepare his coffee. He made it black, skipping the milk altogether.
“Wow, you must be as exhausted as I am. ” I laughed, nudging him.
His lips curled with a small smile.
“I’m stuck in a car with Faith. ” He grasped a packet of sugar and ripped off the top. The crystal-like specks scattered across the black liquid before dissolving. “I need all the coffee and sugar I can get. ”
“She’s that bad, huh?”
“No. ” He sucked a speckle of sugar off his thumb.
I tried hard not to stare at his lips and the way they wrapped around his thumb, but my eyes darted of their own accord.
“She
’s worse,” he added, drawing my attention back to his eyes.
I couldn’t help the smile on my lips as he attached the lid to his cup and brought it to his mouth for a sip.
“I’d much rather have you in the car with me, hell, I’d even switch her out with Hunter at this point. ”
I laughed once. “Be careful what you wish for. Hunter is so close to puking everywhere it’s not even funny. ”
“Is he sick?” Eli asked as we rounded the corner to the counter.
“No, he’s just adapting. Being in the car is giving him motion sickness. ”
Eli slipped his coffee onto the counter and I pushed in front of him, quickly sliding the money onto the counter.
“Ruby, what are you—”
I raised my hand, silencing him as the cashier gave me my change. I turned on my heel.
“Consider this my apology. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be stuck with Faith and have to resort to ridiculously dark coffee. ”
His frown melted into a heart-warming smile and he reached around me, pulling our things off of the counter. He handed me my chocolate and chips, keeping the coffee for himself.
We walked side by side to the door and before we reached it, Eli tugged me behind the ATM machine. My breath hitched in my throat and I almost dropped my chocolate as he pressed me hard against the machine. My eyes fluttered shut on instinct as his mouth descended upon me, molding perfectly with mine. As quickly as he kissed me, he pulled away, leaving me breathless.
“Consider that a thank you. ” He stepped back. “And because I like your dress. ”
Oh so casually, he drew the cup to his lips and walked off with his free hand stuffed into his pocket. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. How the hell was I meant to survive a second with the council if Eli’s walking around all daring and reckless? An elite guard could have walked in and seen us. I felt my brows pull together. I don’t think Eli cared if we were caught.
I pushed off the machine and a movement in the top corner of my eye caught my attention. My gaze settled on a security mirror and the cashier was watching me. He seemed flushed—almost embarrassed—when I peered around the machine to look at him. I pursed my lips together, awkwardly biting back a smile before ducking out of the service station. As I rounded the car, Hunter stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“Find what you were after?”
I arched a brow and shook my chips and chocolate in front of his face. “I guess so. ”
“And Eli?” Hunter’s eyes flared with a gleam I couldn’t decipher and I frowned, confused. “Either, cheese and onion potato chips arouse you or Eli—”
“Okay, Hunter,” I snapped, lowering my voice. “So we kissed. Big deal, I’m only human. I can’t stop my feelings when these things happen. ”
I pushed past him and climbed into the car. Mila was asleep against her door and I quietly dropped into the middle seat next to her, careful not to wake her with the sound of my chip packet. Hunter climbed in after me, and when the door was closed, Lyric drove off.
Hunter leaned in close to my ear and I tried hard to ignore him as I ate my chocolate.
“Sorry,” he said in a low tone and then fell back against his seat.
I sighed. Things were already getting difficult and complicated and we hadn’t even arrived at the council’s city yet.
***
I tried not to make a scene when we arrived at the small strip of concrete and I tried not to make a scene when I saw the small jet plane, but when I stepped out of the car, I couldn’t handle it anymore. My palms were slick with nervous sweat and I wiped the back of my hand across my forehead. I really hoped the sick feeling in my stomach would go away, but it only grew worse as the luggage was taken from the car. I drew my fingers to my mouth, chewing my nails nervously and surveyed the small plane. It had a long, slim body, a wide wingspan, and two small jets that I was certain wouldn’t help the plane go anywhere. I had no skill in being able to predict the future, but I was confident I was going to die today.
“Jesus, all that apprehension is making me sick…” Hunter groaned, strolling up beside me.
“Sorry,” I replied, dropping my fingers from my mouth. “I’ve never been in the air before. ”
“You’ll be fine after a while. It’s no different to being in a car or a bus. ”
I leaned against the car, watching everyone load into the plane. “…except I’m fifty thousand feet up in the air, maybe even higher. ”
He laughed, nudging me with his elbow. “Yeah, something like that. ”
“Ruby! Hunter!” Xavier called from the bottom steps of the plane. “Let’s go!”
Hunter flicked his head toward the plane, sending wild strands of black hair everywhere. “C’mon. ”
“Wait. ” I grabbed his arm. “Surely there’s another way to get to the council. We can drive or catch a boat?”
“The council lent us their plane. If there was another way, I’m sure they would have given us options. ” Hunter laced his fingers through mine and slowly began inching me closer to the plane. “C’mon, or Mr. Aleksandrov is going to get even more pissed off than he already is. ”
I took no notice of the sweat that formed in between our hands or what we looked like to other people—especially Eli. My only focus was on the huge, white machine in front of me. When we made it to the steps, I stopped abruptly, taking a big, deep breath.
Hunter let go of my hand and I stepped onto the first step, ignoring the way my hands and my knees trembled.
“Only five more to go…” he said and I could feel the warmth of his breath on my neck and the sudden pressure of his hand on my hip.